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Summary

Site of two 19th century cottages. They are thought to have been the site of the shed, listed in 1810 as being occupied by the foremen when the forts were being built. It was subsequently used as an Engineer's office and mess room. The site is recorded as a cottage and garden on the 1838 Tithe Map and Apportionment to which a second cottage had been added by 1871. The cottages are shown on the 1906 Ordnance Survey map but had been demolished by 1938. All that remains is a walled enclosure which was used as a sheltered, base for the soldiers manning the anti-aircraft battery that was positioned nearby during the preparations for D-Day in 1944.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX95NW/52
• Tide Project: 27/03/2024
• Torbay HER: MTO20086

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• COTTAGE NON SPECIFIC (Built, XVIII to XIX - 1795 AD? (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Cottages and gardens depicted.

Hawkins, M.R., 1973, Berry Head Management Plan, Zone A (Ac) (Report - Interim). SDV362518.

Ruined building and enclosure, the remains of an early 19th century smallholding.

Pye, A.R., 1989, Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment, 15, 37-38 (Report - Assessment). SDV362497.

A cottage and garden in the centre of the common was probably the shed listed in 1810 as being occupied by the Foreman while the forts were being constructed. It was subsequently used as an Engineer’s Office and mess room. It was let in 1823 to Roger Hyne and recorded as a cottage and garden in 1838. It is shown on the 1906 map but had been demolished by 1938.

Pye, A.R. & Slater, W.D., 1990, Berry Head Fort, Brixham, An Archaeological Survey, 1, 27, Fig 25 (Report - Survey). SDV362493.

The site originally consisted of an enclosure containing a building on its southern side, circa 50 metres by 25 metres. The entrance was through the centre of the west wall, and through the south wall to the east of the building. Probably the shed referred to in 1810. Described as a 'cottage and a garden' in 1838, it survived at least until 1904 when it appears on the Ordnance Survey first revision, but it had disappeared by the second revision of 1933.

Armitage, P. L., 2006, More buttons, bullets & bones, 11-12 (Article in Serial). SDV364324.

Excavations by young archaeologists were undertaken on the site of two demolished Victorian cottages on the edge of Berry Head Common as part of the CBA National Archaeological Event in July 2006.
Discarded household refuse dating from the Victorian and early Edwardian periods was found along the base of the garden wall. This included small amounts of pig, sheep and cattle bones, sherds of blue and white transfer printed wares, fragments of storage and mixing bowls, a pancheon (a bowl used in bread making) and also part of an Edward VII coronation cup. Of particular interest though were sherds of a Chinese Famille Rosé porcelain tea bowl. This was dated to the 18th century and may have been a family heirloom.

Armitage, P. L., 2008, A 'Lost' WW2 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun-Position at Berry Head, Brixham, 17-22 (Article in Serial). SDV360534.

Excavations carried out by Brixham Heritage Museum Field Research Team and young archaeologists in 2007 on the site of two cottages on Berry Head Common recovered a number of WWII artefacts. The cottages, one built by c.1833 and the other by 1871, were abandoned by 1906 and demolished by 1937. All that remains today is an overgrown, ruined, stone-built enclosure wall.
It had previously been considered that WWII activity on the Common took place at some distance from the enclosure. Finds of WWII artefacts from this and indeed previous excavations on the site were, therefore, unexpected. A reappraisal of the site discovered that a Bofors anti-aircraft battery was located where the nearby navigation beacon now stands, brought onto Berry Head as part of the defensive measures put in place prior to D-Day, 6th June 1944. The walled enclosure would have provided a convenient, sheltered base for the soldiers stationed there.
The finds included .303 rifle cartridge cases, artillery shell fuse covers, inscribed sherds of mugs and plates dated 1941 and 1943, a shaving brush dated 1940 and bakelite covers for two motorcycle batteries, thought to date c. 1940.

Armitage, P. L., 2008, Further archaeological evidence for military activity at Berry Head during WW2, 10-11 (Article in Serial). SDV365169.

Finds of World War II artefacts from the site also included three base plugs from Mills 36M grenades. Two appear to have come from unexploded grenades. The third, however, looked to have been detonated suggesting that live firing practise took place on the Common.

Armitage, P. L., 2008, Mysterious earth mounds, a WW2 'pig's tail', old toothpaste tubes, and a Napoleonic re-enactment/boot camp, 27-29 (Article in Serial). SDV365170.

Excavations by young archaeologists on the site of two demolished Victorian cottages found Victorian potsherds and also further evidence of WWII activity in the area including an artillery shell fuse cover, a 'pig's tail' used to secure barbed wire emplacements into the ground and two toothpaste tubes.

Exeter Archaeology, 2010, Berry Head Hotel Brixham Part 1: Archaeological Assessment, 7 (Report - Assessment). SDV362409.

Possibly the site of the shed that is recorded in 1810 as having been occupied by the foreman during the construction of the forts. It consisted of an enclosure with a building along the south side. It is recorded as a cottage and garden on the Brixham Tithe Apportionment. It was demolished between 1906 and 1938.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital). [Mapped feature: #130351 ]
SDV360534	Article in Serial: Armitage, P. L.. 2008. A 'Lost' WW2 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun-Position at Berry Head, Brixham. Council for British Archaeology South-West Journal. 21. A4 Stapled + Digital. 17-22.
SDV362409	Report - Assessment: Exeter Archaeology. 2010. Berry Head Hotel Brixham Part 1: Archaeological Assessment. Exeter Archaeology. 10.05. Digital. 7.
SDV362493	Report - Survey: Pye, A.R. & Slater, W.D.. 1990. Berry Head Fort, Brixham, An Archaeological Survey. Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit Report. EMAFU 90.10. Hardcopy + Digital. 1, 27, Fig 25.
	Linked documents:1
SDV362497	Report - Assessment: Pye, A.R.. 1989. Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment. Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit. EMAFU 89.04. Hardcopy + Digital. 15, 37-38.
	Linked documents:1
SDV362518	Report - Interim: Hawkins, M.R.. 1973. Berry Head Management Plan. Parks Committee of the County Borough of Torbay. Zone A (Ac).
SDV364324	Article in Serial: Armitage, P. L.. 2006. More buttons, bullets & bones. Council for British Archaeology South-West Journal. 18. A4 Paperback + Digital. 11-12.
SDV365169	Article in Serial: Armitage, P. L.. 2008. Further archaeological evidence for military activity at Berry Head during WW2. Council for British Archaeology South-West Journal. 22. A4 Stapled + Digital. 10-11.
SDV365170	Article in Serial: Armitage, P. L.. 2008. Mysterious earth mounds, a WW2 'pig's tail', old toothpaste tubes, and a Napoleonic re-enactment/boot camp. Council for British Archaeology South-West Journal. 22. A4 Stapled + Digital. 27-29.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV7576 - SHERD (XVIII - 1701 AD to 1800 AD)
• FDV8004 - SHERD (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV7834 - Archaeological Assessment of the Berry Head Forts
• EDV7835 - Archaeological Survey of the Berry Head Forts

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